October 10
by saxgirl42
Summary: The Varia throw a birthday party, and there's only one thing missing: the guest of honor! XS. Rating raised for second chapter.
1. The Party

**A/N:** This was written for Xanxus's birthday, which - of course - was on October 10! As a result, this entire week has been dedicated to Xanxus on the MangaFox KHR forum, and this is my contribution. :)

So here's the fluff. Please enjoy, and leave a comment!

**Disclaimer:** Katekyo Hitman Reborn and all characters belong to Amano Akira.

- - - - -

It was the tenth of October, and Varia headquarters was surprisingly quiet.

"He's not coming down, is he?" Belphegor said with a grin, twirling a birthday hat around his finger.

Squalo glared at him. "He'll be here."

Belphegor just chuckled, then ducked as a plate went flying past his head.

"If this isn't going to happen, then I'm leaving," Mammon said from the other end of the table. "You seem to forget that I have obligations outside this organization."

"Don't you even want cake?" Lussuria asked.

Mammon stared at him blankly.

"I decorated it myself," Lussuria said, holding out a piece.

Mammon hesitated, then snatched the cake, mumbling, "But I'm not happy about it."

"Someone should go get the boss," Levi said from his post near the door.

Squalo glared. He knew very well that Levi wanted to be the one to save the day and bring Xanxus down to the impromptu birthday party.

"Give him a minute," Belphegor said. "He's only a half hour late."

"If he doesn't come down in two minutes, I'm leaving," Mammon said, spearing a bite of cake.

"Are you sure he knew he was supposed to come?" Lussuria asked.

Levi stepped away from the wall. "I can get him –"

"I'll go," Squalo snarled, slamming his wine glass onto the table and spilling its contents all over the tablecloth. He stormed out of the room without another word.

Silence filled the dining hall.

"Does this mean the party is done?" Lussuria asked with a pout.

- - - - -

Squalo stomped up the stairs, fuming. He had known this was a bad idea. Xanxus never wanted to celebrate his birthday. He never wanted to celebrate _anything_. But Lussuria had proposed the idea, and it had sounded good at the time, so preparations had been made and now only one thing was missing.

Squalo hesitated as he approached Xanxus's closed door. There was a good chance the boss didn't want to be bothered at all, and Squalo knew better than most how violent he could get when he was in a bad mood.

Finally just deciding to go for it, Squalo rapped on the door and waited for the familiar voice to answer.

"Go away."

"Why won't you come down?" Squalo demanded.

"Why won't you listen to orders?"

"Because it's your birthday."

There was silence for a moment, and then the door swung open, revealing Xanxus's dark face. He grabbed Squalo by the collar, tugged him into the room, and shut the door behind them.

"Hey -!" Squalo began, but Xanxus clapped a hand over his mouth.

"I don't want a party," he growled. "I don't want presents, I don't want a fucking cake, and I don't want any of you making a big deal out of today."

Squalo's eyes narrowed and he mumbled something against Xanxus's hand, but the dark-haired man just glared.

"Do you understand?" he asked. Squalo wavered for a second before nodding, and Xanxus removed his hand. "Good." He stepped back and slouched into his throne-like chair. "Now go downstairs and tell those idiots not to bother me for the rest of the day."

But Squalo didn't leave. He stared into the scarlet eyes of his boss.

"We didn't throw you a party to be annoying, you know," he said. "We threw one because we care."

Xanxus snorted and looked away, glaring.

"Fine!" Squalo said. "You're impossible! I'll tell them to cancel the whole thing. Stay up here and rot, why don't you. I hope you have a blast."

He was halfway out the door when a hand caught his arm and tugged him back against a solid chest.

"Let go, you bastard!" Squalo snarled, wriggling to escape the iron grip.

"I said I didn't want a party," Xanxus muttered, his lips playing against Squalo's neck. "I never said I didn't want you."

"And why should I do anything for you when you're being so fucking stubborn?" Squalo snapped.

"Because it's my birthday," Xanxus said, his voice a low rumble.

"You can't _not_ care about that one minute and then suddenly change your mind!" Squalo squawked as Xanxus began to play with his hair, letting the silky strands flow through his fingers.

"Why not?"

"Because that's not how it works!" Squalo yelled, finally managing to shove away from his boss. His gray eyes were livid, his face flushed. "I'm going downstairs. Don't bother following."

Xanxus heaved a great sigh, rolling his eyes to the ceiling.

"Wait," he said.

"_What?_"

"I'll go down."

Squalo blinked. "Huh?"

"I'll go down," Xanxus repeated. "I'll go to the stupid party." Squalo eyed his boss suspiciously.

"Why did you change your mind?" he asked.

"Because it's my birthday, and I can," Xanxus snapped. Squalo shrugged.

"Fine. But you'd better hurry, Mammon's leaving as soon as he finishes his cake."

Xanxus reached out and grabbed Squalo's wrist before he got to the stairs, then interrupted the swordsman's irate cursing by kissing him full on the lips. He brought one hand up to cradle the back of Squalo's neck, lacing his fingers through the long silvery hair, and – once he was satisfied that Squalo wasn't going to try escaping any time soon – he slid his other arm down around Squalo's waist, drawing him flush against his chest.

"I hope you know this counts as part of your present," Squalo muttered when they finally came up for air. Xanxus smirked and placed a chaste kiss on his swordsman's forehead before firmly pinching his butt, eliciting an indignant squawk from the other man.

"I know," Xanxus said, leading the way downstairs, "just as long as the other part includes you coming to my room tonight wearing nothing but a creatively tied ribbon."

Before Squalo could reply to that, Xanxus burst into the dining hall to rambunctious yells of "Happy Birthday" and the subject was lost.

- - - - -

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment! If I get some good feedback, I may write a ribbon-themed sequel... :3


	2. Epilogue

**A/N:** You guys requested it, and so it was written: here's the ribbon-themed sequel to my fluffy XS birthday fic! Had to move the rating up, but kept it un-raunchy enough to be published here. (I hope.)

Comments are appreciated, encouraged, and LOVED. Thanks, guys!

- - - - -

The pink glow of dawn seeped through the open blinds. Xanxus lounged on his bed, staring absently out the window. His hair was mussed, his eyes tired and thoughtful, and the hint of a frown graced his brow. He reclined against the soft pillows, one arm behind his head, the other flung to the side, and waited for the sun to come up.

Another year gone, another birthday celebrated. He was what, thirty-four now? And what did he have to show for those years, except some scars, a bad temper, and leftover cake? He wasn't the Boss. He wasn't married, didn't have kids (not that he particularly wanted those things, but still). He barely had friends.

Xanxus dropped his head onto the pillows.

What did he have…?

His right hand stretched out across the bed, scooting along the sheets until it found a warm body, soft hair…

Squalo.

The swordsman was still fast asleep, sprawled on his stomach with his face turned toward Xanxus. The bed sheets were slung low over his hips, revealing the muscled planes of his back. He looked different – _peaceful_, Xanxus thought – in sleep. Xanxus absently twisted his fingers into Squalo's silvery locks. Normally he would have cursed himself for whatever silly romantic thoughts he might be having, but it was very early in the morning and yesterday had been his birthday and no one was around, so he felt he could ogle his swordsman as much as he liked.

Something glistened on the bed in the pale morning light: a scarlet ribbon, still partially twined around Squalo's left wrist. Xanxus couldn't help a little smirk as memories of their night returned…

- - - - -

_He had Squalo pinned against the wall. The swordsman's head was tipped back, allowing Xanxus to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses down his throat and across his chest. Their shirts were already gone, thrown to the ground like so much refuse. Xanxus's eyes were dark with lust as he took in his swordsman, breathed his scent, stroked his hair. Heat began to pool in the pit of his stomach as he led Squalo to the bed and pushed him down onto the sheets, running warm fingers over the his sides, soft and teasing, before drawing him into a kiss. With the other man suitably distracted, Xanxus reached onto his bedside table and grabbed the long red ribbon that lay there. Squalo caught sight of it and groaned, rolling his eyes._

_"You've got to be joking," he muttered._

_"Not at all," Xanxus said, biting Squalo's bottom lip spitefully._

_"But I thought you were kidding about the whole ribbon thing!"_

_"I don't kid," Xanxus said dryly. He took Squalo's wrists in one large hand and began to twist the ribbon around them._

_"Hold on –" Squalo began, but Xanxus planted a firm kiss on his mouth, interrupting any protestations. He pressed Squalo back onto the bed and continued to wrap the ribbon tightly around his wrists. Squalo wriggled beneath him in an attempt to get free, and Xanxus knew he would have to thoroughly distract him if this was going to work. He slid one hand over Squalo's shoulders and down his chest, caressing hard muscles and smooth skin all the way down to the unwanted barrier that was Squalo's trousers. Xanxus skipped his fingers over the waistband and gripped Squalo's bulge through the fabric, satisfied at the way his swordsman arched into the touch. Xanxus began to stroke and squeeze him, all the while twining the silky ribbon around Squalo's wrists and fingers._

_Squalo, finally breaking away from the kiss, writhed against Xanxus's hand and gasped, "Stop teasing!"_

_"I don't think I will," Xanxus husked, his lips curving into a sadistic smile._

_"Unngh… you're such a bastard," Squalo muttered._

_Xanxus just grinned and took the end of the ribbon in his teeth, tugging it to tighten the loops around Squalo's wrists. He then pinned Squalo's bound hands to the sheets above the swordsman's head and leaned down for another kiss, his tongue swiping against soft lips before darting inside. Squalo pressed up against him, closing off every inch of space between them. Xanxus could feel the ripple of muscles in his swordsman's body, and he let his hands stroke and grasp at the soft skin, lithe and hot and electric. He rained kisses over Squalo's jaw, lapped at the thrumming pulse of blood beneath the sweat-slicked skin. He heard the breath stutter in Squalo's throat, and felt the muscles beneath his wandering hands tense with need._

_Xanxus knew that each of his movements had to be passionate, but controlled. This was his night – he wanted Squalo to be in his thrall, not the other way around. That, however, was proving difficult, what with the swordsman looking so tantalizing beneath him, long hair tangled, gray eyes dark with lust. The length of ribbon not twisted around his wrists made a beautiful contrast against his pale skin and silvery hair. Scarlet on white, like blood on snow. Xanxus stared down at him for a moment, taking him in, thrilling in the one word that kept leaping to his mind:_

_Mine._

_Xanxus's tongue traced a hot, lazy trail down Squalo's chest, one moment biting at the draped ribbon, then nipping the taught skin of Squalo's stomach. Squalo jerked in response, letting out a small whimper that set fire to Xanxus's nerves. He ghosted his fingers along Squalo's sides and grasped his hips, stroking his thumbs over the angular bones. His fingers hooked under Squalo's waistband and he tugged the trousers down, revealing the swordsman's erection. Xanxus took him in one hand and Squalo bucked, letting out a deep groan._

_"Stop fucking arou – AH!" Squalo broke off with a cry as Xanxus gripped him hard. He began to writhe into his hand, desperate for more._

_"Are you sure?" Xanxus growled, bringing his mouth down to lap at Squalo's length. Squalo screwed up his eyes._

_"Do it already, damn it!" he hissed._

_Xanxus grinned, his dark eyes flashing up to Squalo's face. So perfect, and all his. The rivulets of desire spreading through his veins became floods, all leading down to pool between his legs. _

_He needed this. Now._

_Xanxus bent low over his swordsman, tasting and stroking and teasing, and soon lost himself in the blissful heat of passion…_

- - - - -

Squalo shifted in his sleep and Xanxus jerked his hand back, waiting to see if he would awake. He knew the peace of the early morning would be gone as soon as those gray eyes slid open. They would go back to being boss and subordinate. Their everyday routine would return, the violence, the danger, the bickering…

Xanxus absently toyed with the end of the ribbon, relishing the quiet while it lasted. The ribbon was tangled in the sheets, in Squalo's hair, around his wrists… a scarlet reminder of their passion and – he smirked – his favorite present. He trailed light fingers over Squalo's arm, tracing the lithe muscles and smooth skin, and then he froze, caught by the gray eyes blinking blearily up at him.

Here it was. The return to normalcy. He was supposed to kick Squalo out of bed, to pretend he didn't care, to return to his lonely life like what happened last night didn't matter in the least.

He waited, barely moving. Squalo cocked an eyebrow and muttered, "Why the hell are you awake? It's early."

"I have to be up by seven anyway," Xanxus said.

"That's two hours from now," Squalo grumbled. He closed his eyes and turned over. "Go back to sleep."

Xanxus smirked and slid off his pile of pillows to lie beside his swordsman. He curled one arm possessively around Squalo's waist – ignoring the small grunt of protest – and closed his eyes, allowing himself a single deep breath of Squalo's scent.

Just this one, he'd indulge himself.

After all… it _had_ been his birthday.

- - - - -

**A/N:** Thanks for reading, guys! Comments make me happy!


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